Happy holidays to everyone

Reyka Vodka takes to Facebook Live to deliver personal greetings to every Icelander (all 320,000 of them).

Being one of the smallest countries in the world presents some problems of scale for Iceland (we’ve probably all heard about the app to prevent “accidental incest”), but wily marketers have been able to use its tiny population of roughly 320,000 people to their benefit.

First there was Icelandair’s stopover “Buddy” scheme, which paired visitors with a local, trading on the small-town feel of the 103,000 square-km island.

Now Reyka Vodka is getting in on the action. Spokesperson Frikki is using Facebook Live to wish every Icelander Gleðilega hátíð, or “Happy holidays.”

“Although there are over 320,000 people living in Iceland, the Icelandic Naming Committee has listed just 4,512 approved Icelandic names,” says Frikki. “I will now read each name, wishing Gleðilega hátíð to each Icelander. Oh, and because Reyka is a vodka, these wishes are only for those of legal drinking age. So if I call your name and you are under 21, I am not talking to you, OK?”

And so begins his task. A couple of hours later, after some help from some bizarre viking cheerleaders, it’s all done.